Can Southampton gain a second consecutive promotion?

Last season Norwich City clinched a second consecutive promotion from the Championship.

This season Southampton are looking to emulate the Canaries and get promoted again this season.

Every season there is a surprise team in the Championship and the Saints could just be that team this season.

Start

The Saints have made a good start to their Championship campaign. And their 5-2 victory at Championship dark horses Ipswich underlined why they are considered such a good team. It may just be a start but they have put down good solid foundations for the season ahead.

Boss

Southampton boss Nigel Adkins has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the top of the Championship. Just a short few years ago Adkins was a physio at Scunthorpe United. He was appointed as caretaker manager of the club in November 2006 and given the job on a permanent basis a month later. Since then he hasn’t looked back.

The following season the former-physio guided Scunthorpe to promotion to the Championship from League One. The Iron were relegated in their first season in the second tier but returned via the play-offs the season after.

This time they survived by finishing just a place above the relegation zone. It was a superb achievement considering the resources available to him. Adkins then dropped down a division to take over at St Mary’s Stadium in September 2010.

However he helped the club to promotion in his first season at the club and is regarded as a highly-rated young up and coming coach. At 46 years of age he has plenty of time to make an even bigger impact on football management scene.

Big

To be fair on the Saints they were far too big a club to be in the third tier of English football and not so long ago they were in the Premier League. I remember the likes of Jason Dodd and Southampton great Matthew Le Tissier gracing the Southampton team.

Le Tissier became the iconic hero of Southampton’s many great escapes from Premier League relegation battles. Southampton’s old ground the Dell became one of the most difficult grounds to play at. Even the great Manchester United came unstuck at the Dell, famously losing 6-3 at the Saints veteran stadium.

Recovery

Southampton look like they are on their way back to the top flight, if not this season then in the next few seasons. The Southampton board have invested heavily and it has brought them one promotion. The prospect of another promotion is not completely beyond this team.

Norwich secured their second consecutive promotion last season. The Saints however have far greater financial muscle than the Canaries had. That means the Saints may be able to strengthen their squad in the January transfer window.

Goalscorer

Last season and the early part of this season Southampton have shown that they can play quality football. And in striker Rickie Lambert they have a genuine prolific goalscorer in their team.

The former-Bristol Rovers hitman has worked his way up the leagues and has worked hard to get where he is now. In some ways he reminds me of Norwich skipper Grant Holt, not in style of play but in the way he has matured in later years.

Lambert has already made his mark on the Championship by scoring a brace against Ipswich at Portman Road on Tuesday night. The Scouser could be the key player if Southampton are to challenge for promotion this season.

Early

As I stated earlier in the article it is very early in the Championship season. However Nigel Adkins men have the momentum from last seasons promotion behind them and it wouldn’t surprise me to see them promoted come the end of the season.

Can Southampton win a second consecutive promotion?